Improvement in rotary engines



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ROBERT HUGHES.

\\ Improvement in Rotary-Engines.

No. 114,685. Patented May 9,1871.A

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3Shee1sSheet2 ROBERT HUGHES.

Improvement in Rotary-Engines. KHYNO. 114,685. Patented May 9,1871.

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ROBERT HUGHES.

Improvement n Rotary-Engines. N0. H4685. Patented May`9,1871.

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ROBERT HUGHES, or DANGERFIELRTEXAS.-

Lettersratent No. 114,685, dans may 9,1871.

IMPRovi-:MENT-m ROTARY ENGINES. I

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To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ROBERT HUGHES, of `lDangerfield, Titus county, State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements on Rotary Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be an exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and tothe letters of reference marked thereon making a part of this specification, in

which- Figure 1, plate 1, represents a top view of the rotary engine.

Figure 2, a side elevation of the same.

hFigure 3 represents the bottom plate of steamc est.

Figure 4 shows a top view of. the steam-chestwith its cylinder and steam-channels.

Figure 5 represents a cross-section of the engine.

Figure represents a vertical section of the engine.

Figure 7 shows the valve with its double4 pitmanrods connectedV by a cross-beam to .the piston.

Figure 8 shows the stationary head with its packing-rings.

The nature of my invention consists (as additional improvements to my patent of vJ une 5, 1866) in the arrangement and combination of a double pitmanrod with the valve, and the valve-cylinders with their channels, the valve-box with its channels; also, steel plates on the valve with a cushion between the valve and the plates; also, the outsideV pipevleading from the engine to the steam-chest, when used as a pump.

'lo enable others skilled in the art to make and .use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation, as follows:

I intend to rest my rotary engine on a suitable and properly-constructed flameor foundation.

A represents a frame or support for the engine,

B, the stationary axis, in which the steam enters' at one end and escapes at theopposite end at G, through the channel D.

E is the stationary center-head, which is located permanently on the stationary axle B, the head being circular .with a curved or cam-point, G, projecting in a curve from the periphery of the head, that may either be solid with the center'E, or attached by being rmly fitted to it by screws, the point at H being' the packing to 'fit the circle or concave side of the revolving cylinder J.

I have three or more valve-cylinders, Krand a pitman-rod, M, on each side of the valve-box, connectedor bent as a cross-beam at top, having a center or piston-rod, M', that is attached to a circular plate, L, operating as a lever in the cylinder K.-

N represents the pipe on the outside, connected with the interior of cylinder J and tho volvo-cylinder K, when used as a pump, at ythe inside'of they piston, combined therein, so'that it is connected with the vacuum side of 'the cylinder '.I, and produces, at the same time, a vacuum on the under side of the piston.

The top of the cylinder K,as shown by the dotted i lines P, being removed, allowsv the piston to be oporated bythe atmosphere on. the outside, forcing it down, and forcing the valve L down to the lower side of the cylinder, thus holding the valve down` until the escapement passes it; then the pressure of the water forces through the pipe Naud under the piston, which raises the piston, carrying the valve out with it.

On each sideV of the center-head E I have a packing-ring, R, made of iron or any other suitable ma terial, which packing-rings extend into the side plates o'f the steam-'cylinder in a recess, which recess extends into the sides of the plates beyond the valveguides U.

In said recesses is another thin ring, V, with ordinary packingbetween it and the main ringR, that 'is compressed by screws, W, passing from the outside of the cylinder-plates through the thin ring V and the packing and into the ring R, thcscrews having a shoulder on at ring V. y

So as to prevent the steam from escaping over the rings into the back of the recess, or throughy the valvevguides u, or out through the holes for the screws, and

to prevent the steamA from escaping between the center-head E and the' packing-rings, I intend having a spring pressure from the outside cylinder-plates.

The `valves L have steel plates, S, on each side of their lower ends, with a cushion, T, between, for the purpose of making a tight lit upon the convex side of the cylinder.

In operating my engine the steam enters the axis B and passes into the cylinder E through the chan-- nel X in front of the cam at H, and acts upon the next valve L in front of it, driving the cylinder around until the succeeding valve falls in frontl of the head. After one valve has passed, say, one-third the circuiti--l ference of the cylinder, the next valve takes its place and operates the same as the former.

I may have two or more cylinder-heads, with two or more valves to each rcylinder-head,l and, ast-hc one valve passes the 'rst escapemcnt, the steam is then forced out by expansion from between those valves through the hollow axis,.or in any other direction I may desire it, into another engine, thus utilizing thc steam and a condenser can be used with these engines in connection with the escapement 'and forming the cylinder-head, that thc operator-may close one feodchannel :md open the vother at pleasure, so that the steam will act against the other side of the cam or abutment, the escapement being changed on the center-head to the point immediately opposite the point at H of thecylinder-head, making it common for bothA sides.

The circular dotted lines Z represent aband or cog- .vheel that is intended to be attached.

W hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure y by Letters Patent, is-f 1. A double pitman-rod M, as combined with the 

